Doctoral Student Handbook
- General syllabus
- Individual study plan
- Admission and admission requirements
- Supervision and other resources
- Research environments and networks
- User Accounts
- Activity and funding – reporting
- Courses and course reporting
- Public defence and application for degree
- Intermediate seminars
- Research ethics
- Doctoral employment
- Funding of doctoral studies
- Inter Arts Centre
- Doctoral student union
- Rules and further information
- Supporting documents and templates
1. General syllabus
For each research education subject there is a general syllabus approved by the faculty board. The general syllabus includes, amongst other things:
- the main structure of the programme
- specific admission requirements, prerequisite knowledge and other conditions for admission to the programme
- regulations on selection and the criteria applied for the assessment of applicants’ ability to profit from the programme
►General syllabi (LU-box)
2. Individual study plan
The individual study plan is a document that involves planning the various parts of the doctoral programme.The study plan must include a timetable for the doctoral student’s programme, a description of the obligations of both the doctoral student and the department during the programme, and any other requirements necessary for the programme to be carried out. The plan is drawn up individually for each doctoral student and must cover the entire education and all components leading to the doctoral student’s achievement of the degree objectives. An up-to-date plan must always be in place. The study plan is to be decided by the head of department at each department following consultation with the doctoral student and the supervisor(s). Please note that the initial study plan must be finalised within one month of the start of the programme.
The doctoral student, the supervisors, the department and the faculty all require a clear plan for the implementation of the programme; this should therefore include courses, seminars, supervision, resources, the level of activity and planning for the thesis work. The study plan should also describe planned and completed departmental duties.
For artistic doctoral education, the individual study plan must include timetables for both the course component and the artistic research, as well as a plan for documenting the artistic research and for the funding of both the artistic work and the documentation component.
The plan must cover the entire doctoral programme, but should be more specific and detailed for the next year and for completed parts of the programme, more general for the coming years. The plan must be continuously followed up in the supervision and approved by the head of department at least once a year, in January, or in addition in the event of special changes.
The study plan is drawn up in accordance with an established form, which can be downloaded from the faculty's website:
►Template for individual study plan (LU-box)
3. Admission and admission requirements
Admission to doctoral programmes normally takes place through specific advertisements for vacant places on doctoral programmes. Each department is responsible for advertising vacancies within its own subject areas, with the assistance of the department’s HR officer or HR at the faculty office. Advertisements for vacant places are published on the websites of Lund University and the respective department. Admission to doctoral programmes is governed by the Higher Education Ordinance, Chapters 6 and 7.
The Lund University admission rules regulate admission to research studies:
►Admission rules for doctoral education at Lund University
Detailed information about the admission procedure for research studies can be found here:
►Admission process for doctoral education (LU-box)
Other admission requirements can be found in the general syllabus for the relevant research studies discipline. The general syllabi can be found here:
►General syllabi (LU-box)
4. Supervision and other resources
Doctoral students have the right to supervision as part of their studies. The faculty’s regulations on acceptable study conditions, supervision and other resources for research studies can be found here:
►Acceptable study conditions, supervision and other resources (LU-box)
5. Research environments and networks
In many aspects, it is important and valuable that researchers and doctoral students have the opportunity to work in relevant contexts, environments and networks. These may include exchanges and interactions with senior researchers, with other doctoral students, with performing artists and with the surrounding society.
The Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts, is home to the Inter Arts Center (IAC), a center dedicated in promoting the development of artistic research, supporting interdisciplinary collaboration and interaction with the wider cultural community. Read more about the Inter Arts Center here:
In the field of music education, annual conferences and publishing opportunities are offered within the framework of a Nordic network, find more information here:
►Nordic Network for Research in Music Education
Within the artistic research subjects, a variety of intra-, inter- and transdisciplinary networks may be relevant for the individual doctoral student. Contact the subject director of the respective doctoral education subject for tips and information.
Contact details:
► Theater, Visual arts, Music and Music Education
6. User accounts
To gain access to Lund University’s systems and IT services, doctoral students are issued with user accounts. Doctoral students have two different user accounts, as they are both employees and students. It is important to be aware of this, as access to various IT services and systems may differ depending on which account you are currently logged into.
Further information on user accounts can be found here:
7. Activity and funding – reporting
At the end of each half-year, doctoral students’ study activity and funding must be reported in Ladok. As regards funding, no supporting documentation is required for reporting; virtually all doctoral students have a doctoral employment, with a few exceptions for those funded by scholarships.
The director of studies is responsible for ensuring that doctoral students’ study activity is reported to the reesearch education officer at the Faculty Office. Study activity refers to the time the doctoral student has devoted to their studies during the current half-year. Any departmental duties and other absences from studies (leave of absence, sickness, parental leave, etc.) must be excluded.
Information on the basis for reporting can be found here:
►Memorandum on reporting of activity and funding (LU-box)
8. Courses and course reporting
In addition to the thesis, the doctoral programme also comprises courses and other credit-bearing modules. For details of the programme’s content, see the relevant general syllabus.
One week of full-time study is worth 1.5 higher education credits.
Within the doctoral programme, a doctoral student may undertake courses in three different ways: (1) courses with a course syllabus (2) individual credit-bearing modules (3) credit transfer. These yield a certain number of higher education credits, which are reported in Ladok (the system used to document students’ academic achievements in higher education).
The research education officer at the faculty office reports all courses to Ladok based on information provided by the examiner.
During the annual follow-up of the individual study plan, the doctoral student, supervisor and director of studies go through the courses that have been completed and those that remain, and document any changes in a revised individual study plan.
Courses
The study modules referred to as courses have a course syllabus and a course code. The course leader is responsible for approving the doctoral student’s individual courses. The director of studies for the relevant subject area acts as the examiner for the course and is responsible for ensuring that the course module is appropriately situated within the relevant doctoral programme, as well as for certifying the courses in Ladok.
Individual credit-bearing modules
Doctoral students may also be awarded higher education credits for individually designed modules that do not fall under the category of ‘course’. Such modules must be planned in conjunction with the drawing up and follow-up of the individual study plan. The principal supervisor and the director of studies are responsible for ensuring that the module is relevant to the respective doctoral programme subject. For the assessment of a credit-bearing module, the principal supervisor submits documentation to the examiner (director of studies) specifying which modules are to generate higher education credits. These modules are entered into Ladok as free text and do not require a course syllabus or course code.
Credit transfer
It is also the examiner (director of studies) who approves the recognition of courses taken outside Lund University in Ladok, and determines how many higher education credits they should correspond to. Courses that may be recognised as part of a doctoral student’s research programme may be from another higher education institution within or outside the country. Normally, courses at doctoral level are recognised, but the examiner may also decide that courses at Master’s level can be recognised. Participation in courses at other institutions must be agreed in advance with the principal supervisor and the examiner and documented in the individual study plan.
Courses taken at another department within Lund University do not have to be transferred, but the principal supervisor must approve the inclusion of the course in the doctoral student’s programme.
For more information, see:
►Memorandum on courses and reporting of courses (LU-box)
For course syllabi at the faculty see the following:
►Course syllabi (LU-box)
9. Public defence and application for degree
Doctoral studies conclude with the defence of the artistic project or PhD thesis, after which the student can apply for his or her degree. There are many important preparations to be made, and it is important to think about these well in advance.
Information about the procedure for the public defence and application for a degree for PhD students employed at the Faculty of Fine and Performing arts, Lund university, can be found here:
►Information and checklist for the public defence and application for a degree, internal
Information about the procedure for the public defence and application for a degree for PhD students admitted at the Faculty of Fine and Performing arts, Lund university, but employed at an other university can be found here:
►Information and checklist for the public defence and application for a degree, external
10. Intermediate seminars
Review of ongoing PhD projects is a key component of the third-cycle education, both for the doctoral students and as quality assurance of the department, University and discipline. The principal supervisor holds the primary responsibility for the ongoing review and follow-up of the doctoral student’s work. In order to examine the work and its openness for review from several different perspectives, and to ensure that the doctoral student’s activities are well-established at the department and in the artistic field, the work is to be presented in a wider context. PhD projects are typically presented in the form of open seminars on at least three occasions during the third-cycle programme. These are scheduled to take place when approximately 25 %, 50 % and 75 % of the doctoral programme has been completed. At these seminars, the doctoral student can present different types of material, and artistic performance can be part of the presentation. For several research training subjects, information and policy documents for the intermediate seminars are presented by the subject director or the main supervisor to doctoral students and external reviewers.
►Memo on intermediate seminars in Music Education and Theatre (LU-box)
The seminars are designed to suit the specific nature of each project and aim to support doctoral students in their ongoing work. Doctoral students and supervisors may submit requests regarding the topics they wish to discuss during the seminars. Supervisors must approve the material to be presented at the seminar and may make requirements for amendments or additions. For each seminar, an external reviewer (opponent, or discussant) is appointed who is responsible for reviewing and discussing the work and the material presented.
The doctoral student’s salary is linked to the seminars through the salary scale increase, as described below in the doctoral student handbook under Doctoral Employment > Salary.
11. Research ethics
A doctoral thesis in postgraduate education can involve conducting research that involves people or the processing of personal data. In such cases, it may be necessary to apply for an ethical permission. The ethical review act specifies which research needs to undergo ethical review.
More information about this can be found on the university's website:
►Ethical review
At the faculty, there is a course in research ethics that is compulsory for doctoral students admitted after 1 January 2021.The course is offered 2 times per year. The doctoral student and their supervisor plan in the individual study plan when the doctoral student is to undertake the course.
Syllabus for the course Research Ethics can be found here:
►Syllabus, Research Ethics (LU-box)
12. Doctoral employment
Being an employee
After a decision has been made to admit a doctoral student to postgraduate education, it is decided to employ the doctoral student. Employment as a doctoral student refers to the time that is deemed necessary for the completion of the doctoral studies, which at most corresponds to a full-time doctoral programme for four years. Decision on employment is made by the head of department. The decision cannot be appealed to a higher authority. Employment is valid until further notice, although at most until a set date (normally when the studies are completed) and never for a period longer than one year from completion of the doctoral degree. The first period of employment under a doctoral studentship is for one year. At the end of that year, employment is extended with no need to re-apply. The employment is usually renewed for one year at a time, provided that the studies progress according to plan. When the time expires, the employment is extended without the need to apply for the employment again, however a formal decision on extension must be taken by the department. The total period of employment is not permitted to exceed the equivalent of full-time third cycle studies for four years, and can last no longer than eight years in total (the study pace can not be lower than 50 %).
A doctoral student can to a limited extent work with other than his or her own doctoral studies, on behalf of the employing department. This can be, for example, teaching (holding a course or supervising students at the bachelor's and master's level), or administrative work. This is called departmental duties. Such work may not exceed twenty percent of full-time employment. The doctoral student is compensated with extra time for studies as a result of assignments that involve departmental duties. The employment period can thus be extended to a maximum of five years full-time. However, the total employment period can be longer in special cases. In such cases, the period of employment is extended for a time equivalent to that of absence due to special circumstances. (Special circumstances can include parental leave, sick leave, military service, elected office within employee or student organisations or departmental duties.)
Part time
Under the Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 5, Section 3a), employment as a doctoral student must be on a full-time basis. If a doctoral student so requests, the post may be part-time, but must be at least 50 % of full-time, provided this is approved by the head of department. In the case of part-time work, the doctoral student must apply for leave of absence from their post (which is 100 %). See further under the heading ‘Leave of absence’.
Working hours
Working hours for those employed under doctoral studentships are exempt from the law on working hours; overtime pay is not to be applied according to the agreements in place. This means that the work must be structured so as to make it possible to conduct one’s studies and departmental duties efficiently. This entails taking account of colleagues, management and the students taught by the doctoral student. The doctoral student has the right to daily rest, annual leave and leisure time according to the rules that apply to any other employment. Authorised leave of absence is only granted to doctoral students in exceptional circumstances. The decision on authorised leave of absence is made by the head of department.
Find more information on the internal website for staff at Lund University:
Leave of absence
A doctoral student who wishes to take leave of absence from his or her doctoral studentship must discuss this with his or her supervisor and the head of department. If they agree, the doctoral student is then to apply for leave of absence. An application may not be made for a leave of absence exceeding one year and the period must be within the normal period of employment.
Applications for leave of absence are submitted via Primula, the administrative system that manages employment:
Annual leave
An employed doctoral student is entitled to contractual paid annual leave of approximately six weeks a year. The exact number of days is dependent on age and whether the student has been employed for the whole of the year.
- 28 days of annual leave up to and including the year you turn 29
- 31 days of annual from the year you turn 30
- 35 days of annual from the year you turn 40
Annual leave taken is registered in Primula Web; log in with your Lucat ID. Please note that it is not possible to apply for an extension to your contract because of annual leave not taken or to take annual leave after the final date of your contract. All annual leave should be taken during the period of your contract. At least 20 days must be taken every year. You can carry over a maximum of 35 days of annual leave to the following year.
Salary
Salaries, just as other terms of employment for doctoral studentships, are mainly regulated in ALFA (the general agreement on pay and benefits for government employees). Salaries are set in local salary negotiations between employee and faculty representatives. There is an agreement on a salary scale for Lund University doctoral students. This means that the doctoral student is placed on the starting rung of the ladder at the beginning of the employment period, with step-by-step salary increases for each stage of credits completed in the research studies programme. These increases take place on completion of 25 %, 50 % and 75 % of completed studies, normally in connection to a seminar.
►Routines for salary step increase and local agreement for PhD salary (LU-box)
Salaries are paid out on the 25th of the month or, if this date falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, the nearest working day.
Insurance
Like all the University’s other employees, doctoral students are insured during their working hours and during direct travel to and from their workplace. In addition, business travel insurance applies when travelling further afield for work. In case of business travel abroad, the doctoral student is to carry an insurance card from 'Kammarkollegiet'. This card can be obtained from the department or from the faculty.
►More information on insurance
Parental leave
The Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan) has information about the rules for parental leave, see:
An employee has the right to parental leave to spend time at home with a child. Find out more about what rules apply here:
During parental leave, the University pays a parental benefit supplement (10 % of salary) for those days during parental leave when the employee receives parental benefit at the basic level or above. In order for the supplement to be paid out, you need to submit a certificate from Försäkringskassan confirming that parental benefit has been paid out to the HR administrator at your department.
More information about the rules for parental allowance supplement:
►Parental allowance supplement
Sick leave
Absence due to illness is to be reported in Primula Web; log in with your Lucat ID.
Please note: if you are ill for more than 7 days, you must submit a doctor’s certificate in order to receive sick pay. Doctoral students should give the doctor’s certificate to the HR administrator at the department.
Care of an ill child
Temporary parental leave for care of an ill child is to be reported to Försäkringskassan and reported in Primula Web; log in with your Lucat ID.
Benefits
As an employee of the University, a doctoral student has the same right to health promotion benefits, reimbursement of medicines, sick pay and parental benefit as other employees. Information on this can be found here:
►Benefits for employees at Lund University
Paid or unpaid leave
Leave may be paid or unpaid. Whether or not you receive your salary during the period of leave depends on the reason for the leave.
►Information on paid or unpaid leave
Rights of doctoral students
On appointment, all new employees should receive information about their terms of employment. Contact the HR administrator at the department for more information.
The University also has a doctoral students’ union (Lunds Doktorandkår (LDK)), which has the task of looking after the interests of doctoral students at the University. For more information, see point 12.
More information about matters dealt with by the doctoral students’ union is available from the Swedish Association of University Teachers (SULF) or at Swedish Teacher's Union (Sveriges Lärare). These organisations work with issues concerning doctoral students’ salary terms and working situation. For more information, see their websites:
►SULF
►SULF's information for doctoral students
Lucat ID
All employees of Lund University have a ‘Lucat ID’, which is the user identity (username and password) required to gain access to university services. The directory administrator at the department provides assistance with Lucat IDs.
A Lucat ID is required to log into the University’s HR administration page Primula Web, where employees register their annual leave, sick leave and leave for care of an ill child.
Read more about Lucat here:
Log in to Primula Web here:
Extension (prolongation) of doctoral employment
Certain types of leave normally result in a prolongation of the doctoral studentship by a corresponding number of working days. Such grounds for prolongation include sick leave, parental leave, service on boards/committees and departmental duties. Doctoral students are encouraged to carefully document their degree of activity throughout their studies, as this forms the basis for calculating the prolongation. Normally the prolongation of the employment is calculated towards the end of the doctoral studies, when the final date of employment is to be calculated. HR in dialogue with supervisor, subject director and head of department assists in calculating the prolongation.
Find more information on the rules for extension of employment here:
►Guidelines on the extension of employment (LU-box)
Departmental duties
Doctoral students are mainly to dedicate their time to their own research studies but to a limited extent, up to a maximum of 20 % of full working time, they can also work with teaching, research outside their own project and administration (collectively referred to as departmental duties). The head of department is the work manager and has the final say on the allocation of work duties. Only the work which concerns the doctoral student’s own education is counted as study time. It is therefore important to extend the period of study for a period corresponding to the time spent on departmental work. The faculty has decided on common guidelines for prolongation as a result of departmental duties. Departmental duties and prolongations are to be accounted for in the staff plan and the individual study plan.
Departmental duties and associated prolongation referred to above includes: For student union assignments, doctoral students are compensated by prolongation of their study time and doctoral studentship by a number of days according to a standard calculation for each type of elected office, as defined in the decision from the faculty.
In order to obtain a prolongation, the doctoral student must be able to document the scope of his or her assignment and to present it to the department. This is best done towards the end of the study period, as a total of all assignments. The decision on prolongation is taken by the head of department. For deputies, the actual workload is to be assessed in order to calculate the number of days of prolongation. For prolongation in connection with assignments not covered by the faculty’s standard decision, assessment must be done on a case by case basis.
(An extension is also granted for absence from studies due to illness or parental leave, provided that this has been recorded in Primula.)
Find more information on the rules for extension of employment here:
►Guidelines on the extension of employment (LU-box)
Workplace introduction
All doctoral students are given an introduction in accordance with the routines at each department. Research students on a doctoral studentship also have the opportunity to attend Lund University’s welcome day for new employees. The dates of these welcome days and other important information for new employees can be found on the university website:
►New employees at Lund University
At the start of their appointment, the Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts invites newly appointed doctoral students to an introduction session providing general information about the doctoral programme, details of their studies and employment, and the role of doctoral students within the university, the faculty and the department. The introduction also includes information about the faculty's Library.
Career development
Lund University offers a broad range of activities that contribute in one way or another to career development for academic staff, either within academia or outside it. Read more about it here:
►Career development for academic staff
►Career development for researchers and teachers
13. Funding of doctoral studies
Full-time funding is required before an applicant can be admitted to research studies. Financial resources must also be available for supervision, operational funds and other conditions of study.
At the Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts, most admitted doctoral students have a doctoral studentship. Doctoral students can also be admitted who apply with other funding. If funding is to be from a source other than the faculty, a certificate or similar must be provided to confirm how the funding will be maintained throughout the period of study – a total of four years for full-time study.
A student with funding other than a doctoral studentship may only be admitted if his or her qualifications are judged to be at least equal to the qualifications of applicants who are considered for a doctoral studentship. The applicant’s funding plan will be reviewed by the admissions board. For more information about the admissions process, see point 3.
Travel and research grants
As a PhD student at Lund University you can apply for scholarships through the university's Endowment Administration. Information about the scholarships and how to apply can be found here:
14. Inter Arts Center
Inter Arts Centre (IAC) is a meeting place for staff and students at the Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts in Malmö that conducts artistic research and development. IAC provides premises and technical equipment for interdisciplinary projects covering fine art, music and theatre, as well as other arts and sciences. This includes projects in collaboration with artists working outside academia. Doctoral students have access to IAC with an access card that can be obtained from IAC. Address: Bergsgatan 29, 5th floor.
Visit IAC's webb:
15. Doctoral students’ union
Lund University also has a doctoral students’ union (Lunds Doktorandkår, LDK), which has the task of looking after the interests of doctoral students at the University. Membership of LDK gives doctoral students the possibility to influence decisions at the University and influence and improve research studies. Membership also gives access to student discounts.
LDK also has two support functions that provide free and confidential support to doctoral students:
- The doctoral ombudsman (DOMB) is helpful with legal issues and other challenges related to doctoral education, such as doctoral students rights. The DOMB can be reached by email: domb [at] ldk [dot] lu [dot] se (domb[at]ldk[dot]lu[dot]se)
- The PhD well-being and career mentor can provide guidance on well-being and mental health, stress management and career advice. The mentor can be reached by email: support [at] ldk [dot] lu [dot] se (support[at]ldk[dot]lu[dot]se)
For more information, see the LDK website:
►LDK
At the Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts there is a doctoral students' concil under the umbrella of LDK, named Konstnärliga doktorandrådet (KDR). You can contact the spokesperson for KDR via e-mail: kdr [at] ldk [dot] lu [dot] se (kdr[at]ldk[dot]lu[dot]se)
When appointing student representatives in the faculty's preparatory, advisory and decision-making bodies, KDR collaborates with the student union at the faculty, SKFM.
►kdr [at] ldk [dot] lu [dot] se (Email KDR)
For more information, also look at this page, which is a PhD handbook for doctoral students, published by Sweden's United Student Unions:
16. Rules and further information
National rules on research studies and admission to research studies can be found in chapters 6 and 7 of the Higher Education Ordinance:
Lund University’s common regulatory framework provides further details and governs doctoral education. These regulations can be found here:
►Lund University regulations for third cycle education
Lund University’s admissions rules can be found here:
►Lund University admission rules for doctoral education
Lund university information for current doctoral students:
Decisions by the Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts relating to doctoral education are compiled in an LU-box:
►Faculty decisions on doctoral education (LU-box)
PhD handbook by Sweden’s United Student Unions (SFS):
Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts publication series:
17. Supporting documents and templates
The supporting documents and templates are primarily intended to be a support for administrative staff to facilitate the administration and handling of doctoral education matters. They can be found in an LU-box for doctoral education:
►Supporting documents (LU-box)
Contact
Annika Westberg
Administrative officer
annika [dot] westberg [at] konstnarliga [dot] lu [dot] se
+46 40 32 54 96